Friday 26 October 1940

North American Aviation’s prototype fighter, NA-73X, NX19998, at Mines Field, Los Angeles, California. (North American Aviation).

Battle of Britain: The weather continues to offer acceptable flying conditions today, so operations on both sides again are busy.

The day begins with the usual reconnaissance flights. Around 10:30 on 26 October 1940, a fighter-bomber (Jabo) sweep accomplishes little, though the Luftwaffe pilots down a Spitfire of 4,/JG53 near Biggin Hill. There also is an exchange of losses off the coast.

A little later, a large formation heads across from Boulogne. Per recent policy, there are patrolling Hurricanes who intercept. A massive dogfight erupts which extends all the way across the Channel. A pair of Hurricanes of No. 229 Squadron attack a Heinkel He 59 rescue plane - standing orders for the RAF - and are both shot down by Bf 109s. One of the pilots becomes a POW, a relative rarity for RAF fighter pilots at this stage of the war, the other perishes.

During the noon hour, Jabos raid Kent and Sussex. Once again, there is a major dogfight. The RAF takes the worst of this encounter, but there are only a few planes lost altogether.

After that, there are primarily only small raids and RAF Fighter Command does not bother with them. There is one major action over Kent in which JG 26 tangles with RAF No. 605 Squadron (Hurricanes) and No. 222 Squadron (Spitfires). Adolf Galland of JG26 claims his 46th victory, a handful behind leader Werner Molders.

Toward dusk at 18:00, a small raid on RAF Wick by two Heinkel He 111s kills three and wounds a dozen other civilians. It causes moderate damage to the airfield and demolishes several nearby houses. The raid is a bit unusual because the Heinkels pretend to be RAF planes, flashing proper recognition signals. Among other damage, a Hudson plane is destroyed and two others damaged.

At 18:30, a somewhat similar raid by a pair of Heinkels is made on RAF Lossiemouth. They destroy one Blenheim and damage two others. There are two dead and a dozen wounded. The planes fly so low that one of the Heinkels is destroyed by its own stick of bombs.

After dark, the weather takes a turn for the worse, but both sides continue operations. The fledgling RAF night fighter service has a bad night when two Hurricanes of RAF No. 151 Squadron crash for unknown reasons shortly after taking off.

London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, and the Midlands take the brunt of the night attacks. While the raid on London is considered one of the longest of the Battle of Britain, the attack on Birmingham is particularly notable and effective. Bombs hit the center of the city and destroy a large area of important buildings. Several factories are completely flattened, and an unexploded bomb comes to rest on one of the station platforms at New Street (LMS). Large fires break out at Saffron Hill but are brought under control after maximum effort.

In London, mass transit is in trouble. The subway station at Victoria Station, St. Pancras, is demolished along with nearby portions of Victoria Station itself. More and more provincial buses are in town to replace buses lost in bomb craters and the like. Numerous other stations, such as Balham, are completely out of service. The underground is vital to the functioning of the city, but "lucky hits" slowly are making it difficult to use.

The Luftwaffe also continues its mining operations in the Thames Estuary. Mines have taken an increasing toll on smaller ships, though larger vessels have been lucky recently.

Overall, it is a fairly normal day in terms of losses. The Luftwaffe loses about 10 planes and the RAF roughly half as many.

A Swordfish from RAF No. 821 Squadron on a training flight crashes into Quendale Bay in the Shetlands, killing the three men on board.

RAF ace James Lacey scores a victory, shooting down a Bf 109.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command launches a heavy raid on Berlin. It also attacks the ports of Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Flushing, Antwerp, and Bremen. Other targets include oil installations at Stettin, Leuna, and Cologne and various rail lines and airfields in northwest Europe.

Coastal Command attacks a power plant at Brest.

RAF Beauforts attack shipping in Sognefjord (Norway's largest fjord). They bomb and sinks 763-ton Norwegian freighter H.J. Kyvig. Five crew perish. Some sources place this incident on the 28th.

Empress of Britain (in naval gray) on fire and listing after being bombed. If you look closely, you can see the lifeboats being lowered.

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy troopship (Canadian Pacific line) Empress of Britain, a 42,348-ton liner, is about 70 miles northwest of Aran Island, Ireland off the west coast and nearing its destination of Liverpool when it is spotted at about 09:20 by a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200C Condor long-range bomber of I./.KG 40, commanded by Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope. The Empress of Britain is a fast, modern liner, but fortunately, it only has few passengers on board for its size. Jope strafes the liner and drops two 250 kg bombs on it. The bombs start a fire, and the bulk of those on board (416 crew, 2 gunners, 205 passengers) quickly abandon ship and are picked up by nearby destroyers and trawlers.

The Luftwaffe meanwhile sends reconnaissance planes to review the Empress of Britain's situation and they conclude that because the passengers are abandoning ship and it is on fire, that it is sinking. The ship, however, is only disabled and listing but not sinking. As the day ends, the Royal Navy makes plans to tow the Empress of Britain to port. There are 25 crew and 20 passengers who die in the attack and all subsequent events.

The Empress of Britain is the largest Allied liner hit during the war. Liners, being fast, are difficult to attack. The bombing is big news in Germany. Berlin radio strongly implies that the liner has been sunk, but the Kriegsmarine vectors in U-boats just to make sure.

British 8053 ton tanker Dosinia hits a mine and sinks in Liverpool Bay near Southport, Lancashire. Everybody aboard survives.

Royal Navy 8053 ton destroyer HMS Delhi stops Vichy French freighter Albi off Western Africa. The crew of the Albi scuttles it.

Belgian freighter Katanga hits a mine in the River Mersey near the Bar Lightship and is damaged.

Swedish 6549 ton tanker Strombus hits a mine near Mumbles Light and sinks. Everybody aboard survives.

Swedish 9583 tanker Pegasus also hits a mine a couple of kilometers south of Bar Light Vessel, Mersey and is damaged.

Norwegian 6549 ton whale factory ship hits a mine in the Bristol Channel off Swansea and sinks. All 40 crew aboard survive.

Destroyer HMS Sikh hits a tug at Rosyth and suffers minor damage.

Convoy FN 320 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 320 departs from Methil.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Thunderbolt (N 25, Lt. Cecil B. Crouch) is commissioned.

Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope (center) after he bombs the Empress of Britain.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Malta government long ago made hoarding illegal, but that hasn't stopped anyone. Police now are authorized to search houses for stockpiles. Petrol and silver are in short supply - both being hoarded - and buses only run a few hours a day. Nobody really knows where everything is heading, the German rapprochement with Romania, a key trading partner of Malta which heretofore has supplied much of its fuel, has created numerous problems on the island.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis, operating in the eastern Indian Ocean, transfers 216 POWs to captured Yugoslavian freighter Durmitor. The freighter then is sent toward Italian Somaliland with insufficient provisions for a large number of people on board. It is not a happy trip.

German Government: Adolf Hitler spends the entire day in Munich, his original power base, as he prepares for his meeting with Benito Mussolini in Florence on the 28th. Hitler, in fact, still maintains an apartment there (and will throughout the war). He stays in Munich until 18:00 on the 27th when his train heads south.

Commonwealth Relations: To coordinate Far Eastern defenses, representatives of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand meet in Singapore.

Soviet/Romanian Relations: Continuing its high-handed and predatory behavior to its neighbors, the Soviet Union occupies islands in the Danube Delta, contending that they are part of Bessarabia - which the USSR already has occupied.

Italian/Greek Relations: Italy has been making aggressive moves against Greece in recent years as part of an ancient rivalry that stretches back to the dawn of time. Today, Italy lodges a diplomatic protest against Greece alleging incursions across the Albanian border due to "anti-Italian bigotry." Italian forces in Albania are preparing for the invasion of Greece still scheduled for 28 October 1940.

Three Italian bombs attack Greek territory even though the countries are not yet at war.

German Military: Hubert Lanz, Chief of Staff for XVIII Corps, takes over command of the 1st Mountain Division. This division had been earmarked for Operation Felix, the capture of Gibraltar, but that mission essentially has been scrubbed due to Spain's unwillingness to join the war effort on the Axis side. The 1. Gebirgs-Division soon will head east, along with many other army units. Lanz is an interesting figure during the war, a stout, relentless soldier who leads many successful operations but also a covert opponent of the Hitler regime. That said, he certainly is no saint and is implicated in war crimes.

Vance Breese in the cockpit of the NA-73X after the first five-minute test flight, 26 October 1940. (North American Aviation).

US Military: Prototype NA-73X of the North American P-51 Mustang has its first flight, only 102 after the order was first placed. An all-aluminum design, test pilot Vance Breese reports that the plane handles during a five-minute flight well despite a heavy fuel load. It is heavily armed, with two .50 caliber Browning machine guns in the fuselage and four .30 inch Browning machine guns in the wings. Even fitted out with armament and everything else, the plane is 56 km/hour faster than the Spitfire V. The Allison engine, however, does not do well at altitude and soon shows other issues.

The US Marine Corps forms a Marine Parachute Detachment at the naval air station at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

A program for the Indiana-Northwestern game, 26 October 1940.

China: Japanese aircraft raid Loiwing (Leiyun), China. They cause extensive damage to the CAMCO factory which assembles CW-21 fighters from kits.

In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, Japanese army troops at Lungching and Pinghsiang are cut off and begin retreating to French Indochina.

British Homefront: The British government realizes some basic things about the homefront:

1. Many citizens love fish and chips;
2. Potatoes are one food item that people can grow at home fairly easily and thus are in fairly plentiful supply.
3. The daily fish catch is sufficient for present needs.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Food begins subsidizing the consumption of fish and chips.

American Homefront: US Secretary of State Cordell Hull makes a radio broadcast about the necessity of a strong defense. He states:

To have peace, we must have security. To have security, we must be strong … Essential to effective national defense are constant and skilful use of political and economic measures, possession of' military weapons, and continuous exercise of wisdom and of high moral qualities. We must have planes and tanks and ships and guns. We must have trained men. We must hold to the ideal of a world in which the rights of all nations are respected and each respects the rights of all; in which principles of law and order and justice and fair dealing prevail. Above all, we must be a united people - united in purpose, and in effort to create impregnable defense … Thus can we maintain our inheritance.

A game program for the 26 October 1940 football game between the Eagles and the Dodgers at Shibe Park.

October 1940
October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Tuesday 1 October 1940

"Wait For Me Daddy," by Claude P. Dettloff, October 1, 1940: A line of soldiers marches in British Columbia on their way to a waiting train as five-year-old Whitey Bernard tugs away from his mother's hand to reach out for his father. The troops are the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles) in New Westminster, Canada. Other spouses and family members also say their goodbyes all along the column. This is widely considered one of the most powerful photographs ever taken. (H/t Jodi P)

Battle of Britain: The Luftwaffe high command - namely Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering - continues tinkering with its strategy on 1 October 1940. He reverses a recent strategy to send in fighter-bombers ahead of the medium bombers, which drained the fighters of fuel. Now, he orders that each fighter squadron be outfitted with a Gruppe of Bf 109E-7 fighter-bombs ("Jabos") to entice the RAF fighters up to do battle while leaving the all but the fastest Junkers Ju 88 bombers for night-time activity.

All of these tactical switches have a bad effect on the Luftwaffe's morale, but not everything that went wrong for the Germans was Goering's sole responsibility (even if he did have the final say on everything relating to the Luftwaffe except overall strategy). Goering was laboring under several handicaps which included:

• Absolutely horrendous military intelligence about the RAF;
• The fact that this was the first air campaign of its kind in history;
• Equipment not suited to an air campaign of this nature;
• Insufficient time to prepare for the campaign after the unexpectedly quick victory over France;
• Orders from Hitler to bomb London.

Viewing the battle in its broadest sense, the German air effort in 1940 is a laboratory experiment regarding how to conduct a strategic bombing campaign against fierce defenses. In fact, it is one of the few times in history it ever has been tried. The lessons learned during it have helped every other air force since. Thus, if the Luftwaffe is making mistake after mistake, it is not (solely) because it was being run by stupid people with hideously misplaced objectives.

In the day's operations, the Luftwaffe gets off to an early start by attacking RAF Carew Cheriton at first light with two bombers. It is an unusually effective attack, destroying two Ansons on the field and several buildings. There were one death and 10 other casualties.

Several hours later, at 10:30, the Luftwaffe sends over a large fighter formation toward Portsmouth and Southampton. The 100+ fighters of JG 2, JG 53 and ZG 26 are met by RAF fighters in the area of the Isle of Wight. Losses are about even for the two sides. A problem with the new strategy arises early on, though, when the Jabos (fighter-bombers) have to jettison their bombs early at random in order to defend themselves, in some ways nullifying the benefits of the strategy. However, from the Luftwaffe's perspective, the strategy in the larger sense works because it draws the RAF fighters up to do battle, which they might not do otherwise if only pure fighters attacked.

Another formation approaches the coast at The Needles, and another dogfight breaks out. The Luftwaffe pilots appear to get the better of this engagement, shooting down several Spitfires.

After the now-typical lunchtime break, the Luftwaffe sends an attack on London at around 13:00 which consists of Jabos and some Heinkel He 111s escorted by Bf 109s. Fighter Command gets right on this highly predictable attack but suffers a bunch of losses when it runs into elite fighter squadron JG 26.

Shortly after 16:00, the Luftwaffe sends another Jabo/fighter formation to the area of RAF Kenley. This formation manages to reach London, somewhat justifying the change in strategy as the slow Heinkels and other German bombers typically have had to turn back well before then. As a bonus, the Luftwaffe only loses one plane in this bombing, though the Jabos carry far fewer bombs than the bombers and thus cause much less damage than they could have.

After dark, the main targets are London, Liverpool, Manchester, East Anglia, Bristol, and the Midlands - the usual targets. The British are catching on to the German radio direction-finding used by the Luftwaffe at night - the Knickebein system - and are learning how to jam it in RAF No. 80 Signals Section. This is an ongoing process that continues throughout the remainder of the battle. The raids during the night are very moderate, and by now the civilian population has learned how to protect itself as much as possible.

Losses for the day are fairly even, with the usual score given as 6 Luftwaffe losses and 4 RAF ones. This, as usual, does not include planes lost on the ground, RAF bombers lost on their own attacks, and the two-sides respective amounts of bombing damage, which overall gives the Luftwaffe a pretty good day. However, while the change of tactics to reduced bomber use during daylight may be working, it also represents a strategic defeat since the medium German bombers no longer can carry out precision daylight raids.

The first RAF bomber equipped to drop "Mutton" parachute bombs into the path of approaching Luftwaffe planes goes into operation. This follows on earlier, moderately successful attempts to drop bombs in the path of bombers during August.

Hptm. Helmut Wick of Stab I./JG 2 files claims for two Spitfires, giving him a total of 36 victories.

The Manchester Guardian runs one of its periodic summaries of the course of the Battle of Britain (for those keeping score at home). The loss figures shown are extremely fanciful and simply tally the highly inflated numbers distributed each day to the press. 1 October 1940.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command continues its assault on Berlin, attacking a munitions plant there. Other raids occur on Cologne and Duisburg power plants, the coastal guns at Cap Gris Nez, and various airfields and ports in northwestern Europe. The raid on Berlin is notable because the RAF drops propaganda leaflets. The improving Luftwaffe night-fighter force shoots down four RAF bombers over Berlin, and anti-aircraft claims three others along the coast. The RAF is sending numerous small-scale raids on various targets - 105 separate attacks tonight - which prove difficult to intercept. Individually, however, they do not cause much damage, especially when taking into account poor accuracy endemic to bombers of the period.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kptl. Heinrich Liebe), on her seventh patrol, uses a total of three torpedoes and sinks 14,172-ton British liner Highland Patriot (Master Robert Henry Robinson). Before sinking the ship, Liebe allows the passengers to disembark after first attacking at 06:47, preventing more casualties, then puts in his final torpedo. The sinking is about 400 miles (700 km) west of Ireland at 07:08. There are only 3 deaths out of the 172 people on board as sloop HMS Wellington (Cdr. R.E. Hyde-Smith, RN) is nearby to pick the survivors up quickly.

Italian submarine Maggiore Francesco Baracca (C.C. Enrico Bertarelli), operating out of Bordeaux about 300 miles (560 km) west of Porto, Portugal, disembarks the crew and then uses its deck gun to sink 3687 ton Greek freighter Aghios Nicolaos at 16:15. There are 27 survivors and four crew perish.

Dutch freighter Haulerwijk torpedoed on 30 September by U-32, is sunk by gunfire after the crew is taken off shortly after midnight.

Minesweepers MSW Britomart and Retake collide in the Firth of Forth, causing minor damage.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy WN. 19 Slow in the North Sea at dusk, machine-gunning the ships.

Force H cruises off the Azores as it steams north toward England, investigating reports of German invasion convoys.

Convoy FN 296 departs from Southend, Convoy OA 223 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 222 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SHX 77 departs from Halifax.

Battleship HMS King George V (41, Captain Wilfrid R. Patterson), built by Vickers-Armstrong, is commissioned for trials at Walker Naval Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne. It introduces the first Mk IV Pom-pom director and is the first ship with gyroscopic target tracking in tachymetric anti-aircraft directors. The battleship remains incomplete and, after completion of trials, will be taken to Rosyth for final fitting out. This is a major event in the life of the Royal Navy, as King George V is state-of-the-art and the first in a projected series of battleships. She also comes along just at the right time, as later events will prove.

A Royal Mail postcard of Highland Patriot.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At Malta, cruisers HMS Gloucester and Liverpool, having unloaded their 1000+ troops and cargo, scoot back out of Grand Harbour and head back to Alexandria. The island's army units spend the day reorganizing and inspecting the new troops.

Manhattan Project: Uranium produced at the mine located at Shinkolobwe, Belgian Congo (the Democratic Republic of the Congo) is shipped to New York. Director Edgar Sengier stores the final total of 1140 tons of uranium in a Staten Island warehouse. The ore is freakishly rich, containing 65% U3O8. The mine itself has been closed and its location made classified - it even has been removed from maps - but the US Army at some point sends a squad from the Corps of Engineers there to reopen the mine and upgrade the nearby airfields at Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) and Elizabethville (now Lubumbashi) and the port of Matadi.

Albert Einstein receives his US citizenship documents.

German/Finnish Relations: The two nations continue tightening ties with each other. In addition to the transit rights granted to Wehrmacht troops recently, they agree that Germany will receive the right to all of Finland's nickel exports in exchange for arms shipments. Throughout the war, right into its final days, Germany may run short of many things, but nickel is not one of them because of this deal. The mine is in the far north near Petsamo and from this point forward becomes one of the most important but little-known strategic locations in Europe.

German propaganda newspaper Naz (dated 1 October 1940) blares the headline "Ten British Spies Caught in Japan." What is somewhat ironic about this headline - which apparently relates to a months-old incident - is that three German spies have just been caught in Scotland as part of Operation Lena.

German Military: Hubert Lanz receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as an Oberst on the General Staff and as Chief of Staff of XVIII. Armeekorps during the Battle of France.

Erich Alfred Hartmann, who goes by the nickname "Bubi," begins his basic military training at the 10th Flying Regiment (Friegerausbildungsregiment) in Neukuhren (near Königsberg in East Prussia).

Wolfgang Falck, considered the "Father of the Nachtjagdwaffe (Night fighters)" and commander of NJG 1, receives the Ritterkreuz. Falck is busy developing new tactics with General Josef Kammhuber for better defense against growing RAF raids.

Also receiving the Ritterkreuz is Oberleutnant Gustav “Micky” Sprick, Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 26, for his 20th victory on 28 September.

I,/NJG 3 forms at Vechta with Bf 110s. Its first commander is Hptm. Günther Radusch.

At Zossen, General Halder continues the Army's perpetual preparations for phantom operations and sets in motion a detailed planning process for Operation Felix, the projected assault on Gibraltar. These sorts of contingency planning sessions take place in all armies, but the Wehrmacht's obsession with this particular operation - which would be easy with Spanish cooperation, and impossible without - creates an impression of pointless make-work for an idle staff.

Only Francisco Franco in Madrid can create the conditions necessary for Operation Felix, and his attitude remains obscure. His Foreign Minister Serrano Suner, having just met with Hitler, meets today with Mussolini in Rome to discuss similar "things."

US Military: The US Navy conducts landing operations in the Caribbean (probably Puerto Rico) with the Marines. The operation is called Special Landing Operation No. 2.

Clarence L. Tinker is promoted to Brigadier General. He currently serves as Commandant of the Air Services Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas and is considered one of the US Army's top aviation experts (the US air force still being the US Army Air Corps). He also is a Native American, one of the first to reach the rank of General in the Army.

Jacob Devers is promoted to Major General. He now commands the US 9th Infantry Division based at Fort Bragg.

"Kite balloons of No. 1 Balloon Training Unit at Cardington, October 1940." Daventry B J (Mr) © IWM (CH 17333).

China: The Japanese 22nd Army, weakened by transfers south for the invasion of French Indochina, battles fiercely to hold its supply lines in the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi.

The Chinese Communist and Nationalist armies skirmish around Huangqiao.

Australian Homefront: The Chermside Army Camp is established in Brisbane, with construction beginning. It can accommodate 3500 militia troops housed in tents and, eventually, barracks.

Petrol rationing is imposed.

German Homefront: In today's Manchester Guardian (page 2) is an account lifted from a New York newspaper (Ralph Ingersoll's P.M.) by Richard Boyer. It recounts a recent visit to Germany. Boyer recalls a:

dead listlessness which is spreading like a plague and infecting increasing numbers with defeatism. If the contagion is not halted, Germany itself, even in victory, may go the way of France.

While Boyer's interpretation is perhaps a bit sensationalized for the press and flavored by the source newspaper's liberal orientation, it does comport with other indications that German morale is depressed relative to, say, British morale and that of 1914. Virtually all of Germany's pre-war grievances relating to the Treaty of Versailles have been satisfied at this point, and yet Berliners still must sit endlessly in bomb shelters as the British launch repeated attacks. While many Germans are happy about the undeniable military successes to date, there appears to be an underlying sense even among many loyal to the regime that perhaps the war has served its purposes and should be put to rest. That, however, appears to be the last thing on Hitler's mind.

British Homefront: The media publicizes the recipients of the new George Cross and George Medal. These include Thomas Hopper Alderson and Patrick King, both involved in civilian rescues after bomb damage.

A debate rages in England as to whether the government should be building deep shelters for the citizenry (as opposed to mere "surface shelters" which have proven vulnerable to direct hits. Former Prime Minister Lloyd George leads this point of view. Today, Lord Davies writes to the Guardian supporting this argument, calling the refusal properly to acknowledge the air war's dangers "another legacy of the Chamberlain regime" (which is perhaps the worst insult imaginable at this time).

Davies, George and many, many others would be perhaps discomfited to learn that the government, despite its protestations, indeed is building massive, deep, well-constructed shelters - but only for its own use. Cost, it turns out, is no object when it comes to protecting government bureaucrats. Many of these shelters survive today, virtually intact, down to the teapots and cutlery to be used in 1940. The public is not informed of their existence until the 21st Century.

Albert Einstein becomes a US citizen, 1 October 1940.

September 1940

September 1, 1940: RAF's Horrible Weekend
September 2, 1940: German Troopship Sunk
September 3, 1940: Destroyers for Bases
September 4, 1940: Enter Antonescu
September 5, 1940: Stukas Over Malta
September 6, 1940: The Luftwaffe Peaks
September 7, 1940: The Blitz Begins
September 8, 1940: Codeword Cromwell
September 9, 1940: Italians Attack Egypt
September 10, 1940: Hitler Postpones Sealion
September 11, 1940: British Confusion at Gibraltar
September 12, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Approved
September 13, 1940: Zeros Attack!
September 14, 1940: The Draft Is Back
September 15, 1940: Battle of Britain Day
September 16, 1940: Italians Take Sidi Barrani
September 17, 1940: Sealion Kaputt
September 18, 1940: City of Benares Incident
September 19, 1940: Disperse the Barges
September 20, 1940: A Wolfpack Gathers
September 21, 1940: Wolfpack Strikes Convoy HX-72
September 22, 1940: Vietnam War Begins
September 23, 1940: Operation Menace Begins
September 24, 1940: Dakar Fights Back
September 25, 1940: Filton Raid
September 26, 1940: Axis Time
September 27, 1940: Graveney Marsh Battle
September 28, 1940: Radio Belgique Begins
September 29, 1940: Brocklesby Collision
September 30, 1940: Operation Lena

October 1940

October 1, 1940: Wait Daddy October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Tuesday 2 July 1940

The Arandora Star, sunk by U-47 on 2 July 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-47 (Kptl. Günther Prien) torpedoes and sinks 15,501-ton British liner Arandora Star on 2 July 1940 about 75 miles west of Bloody Foreland, Ireland at 06:58. The liner is carrying 734 interned Italian men, 479 interned German men, 86 German POWs and 200 military guards. There are 174 crewmen. There are 868 survivors, of whom 586 are internees. About 865 men perish (sources vary).

Prien does not break any rules of war, and this solidifies his already outsized reputation as a master U-boat commander. The Arandora Star, which is not in convoy because liners are assumed to be better protected by their fast speed, is not properly identified as a POW or refugee ship and sinks quickly. The ship is painted grey like a warship and has no Red Cross sign. An Admiralty Net Defence anti-torpedo system had been fitted to the liner but removed a few months prior to the voyage.

With only room for 400 in the lifeboats, there is a mad scramble. The ship loses 805 people, including 37 of the military guard, 42 crew, 12 ship's officers, and the Captain. The oil from the ship makes swimming extremely difficult. The Arandora Star goes under within 35 minutes, still swarming with men who have no chance.

There are several instances of outstanding heroism, including internee Captain Otto Burfeind of the scuttled Adolph Woermann, who organizes his fellow internees to the end, maintains some order, and goes down with the ship. Canadian commander Harry DeWolf also is cited for his heroism in the rescue. Captain Douglas Moulton of the Arandora Star receives a posthumous Lloyd's Medal for Bravery at Sea. Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Laurent picks up the survivors. Bodies wash up on Ireland throughout August, many unidentifiable.

U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart) torpedoes and sinks 8,999-ton British tanker Athellaird hundreds of miles off Cape Finisterre, Spain. All 42 on board survive.

U-29 also surfaces and sinks 4,919-ton Panamanian freighter Santa Margarita by gunfire. All 39 onboard survive.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British ship Aenaes in the North Sea.

Convoy HG Y departs from Gibraltar.

Corvette HMS Mallow (K 81, Lt. William R. B. Noall) is commissioned.

The Orders of the Commandant to the people of Jersey, 2 July 1940.

Western Front: The Germans send a small force to occupy Alderney in the Channel Islands, where few inhabitants remain.

Kommandant Lanz of the Channel Islands issues typical rules for occupied areas, such as a curfew, no radios, no attempts to leave and so forth. Among the more inconsequential changes that annoy many islanders is changing the time zone to that of continental Europe and also changing the rules of the road to driving on the right. The currency is changed to Occupation Reichsmarks (scrip), and that becomes the payment for locals employed by the occupation forces.

Life continues much as it had previously in the Channel Islands, with performances by the German military band, cinemas open, and so forth, but there are gradual changes through the course of the war which are not always for the better. Basically, the islanders go along to get along and do their best to hide their underlying resentment. There are islanders who have fled to England who view all that remained as collaborators, and many of the remaining islanders miss their children, family, and friends who have left.

Battle of Britain: Subsequent to recent deliberations by OKW about the future direction of the war, it issues an order, "The War Against England." It starts off that "The Fuhrer and Supreme Commander has decided that a landing in England is possible."

This is not a Fuhrer Directive, which carries more weight, but a good indication that one is coming. Luftwaffe boss Hermann Goering issues orders to the Luftwaffe to intensify the air campaign against the RAF. He wants special attention given to British shipping, which is considered the main threat to any invasion. The proposed operation has the codename Operation Sealion.

European Air Operations: During the night, the RAF raids Kiel and hits heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in dry dock with 2 small bombs. The docks also are set on fire. This is the raid in which F/O Guy Gibson drops a 2,000 bomb near the Scharnhorst and wins the DFC.

The Fleet Air Arm, in conjunction with RAF Coastal Command, attacks shipping and barges in Rotterdam. This is the first attack directly designed to prevent an invasion.

The Luftwaffe raids northeast England during the evening, killing twelve and injuring 123. A raid also takes place over Wales, but the bombs drop in open country.

Ju 87 B Stuka of the 9/StG 77, Flers, France, July 1940. The use of Stukas is a key component of projected Operation Sealion.

Battle of the Mediterranean: After a day of respite, the bombers appear over Malta at 09:25, but the bombs drop out to sea due to effective anti-aircraft fire. Owners of businesses throughout the island agree to open their doors to passersby for shelter during raids.

US Government: Congress passes the Export Control Act. This gives President Roosevelt the power to control the export of goods with military uses, anything "necessary in the interest of national defense."

British Government: General Percival assumes command of the 44th Infantry Division.

Colonel Gubbins continues forming the Commando force for future operations.

French Foreign Legion volunteers form the 1st Brigade de Legion Francaise of Free France in England.

The Foreign Office decides to no longer recognize King Zog, now living at The Ritz in London, as ruler of Albania. He still maintains a retinue and retains a following among exiled Albanians.

Holland: Former Dutch Commander-in-chief General Winkelman is arrested and deported to Germany.

Poland: General Sikorski in London vows to fight on from English soil.

India: The British government arrests nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose for inciting violence.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army captures Lungchin.

The bombing of Chiang Kai-shek's capital, Chungking, continues. There is a meeting of the Kuomintang.

German officers hanging out in Guernsey, one of the best billets in the Wehrmacht.

July 1940

July 1, 1940: Vichy France
July 2, 1940: Arandora Star
July 3, 1940: Operation Catapult at Mers El Kébir
July 4, 1940: Romania In Crisis
July 5, 1940: The Five Freedoms
July 6, 1940: Hitler's High Point
July 7 1940: Dakar And Ringo
July 8, 1940: Tea Rationing in England
July 9, 1940: Battle of Calabria
July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain Begins
July 11, 1940: "Nous, Philippe Petain"
July 12, 1940: Enter Laval
July 13, 1940: German Surface Raiders Attack!
July 14, 1940: Bastille/Mourning Day
July 15, 1940: Tallest Man Dies
July 16, 1940: Plans for Sea Lion
July 17, 1940: Burma Road Closed
July 18, 1940: FDR Runs Again
July 19, 1940: Last Appeal To Reason
July 20, 1940: First Night Fighter Victory
July 21, 1940: Soviets Absorb Baltic States
July 22, 1940: First RAF Night Fighter Victory
July 23, 1940: Invasion False Alarm
July 24, 1940: The Meknés Incident
July 25, 1940: Black Thursday for RAF
July 26, 1940: Capture The Duke?
July 27, 1940: What's Up, Doc?
July 28, 1940: Destroyers Pulled From Dover
July 29, 1940: Barbarossa On The Burner
July 30, 1940: Hitler Delays Sealion
July 31, 1940: Bloody Wednesday of Olkusz

2020

Monday 1 July 1940

A German soldier stands guard outside the former RAF headquarters in Guernsey.

Western Front: In the Channel Islands, Jersey surrenders on 1 July 1940 and is occupied. The occupation of Guernsey continues. Albrecht Lanz is confirmed as the military governor. Communications between the Channel Islands and England are severed.

French Marshal Philippe Pétain reaffirms to US Ambassador William C. Bullitt that French ships will be scuttled before they are handed over to the Kriegsmarine. Admiral Darlan later says that the ships have been ordered to sail to the Mediterranean if placed in jeopardy from the Germans, or scuttled if necessary.

The Petain French government, after a brief stop-over in Clermont-Ferrand, moves to the spa town of Vichy. This is due to the town's nearness to Paris on the railway and because it has a lot of free hotel space. It also has the advantage of modern telephone exchanges for its upscale visitors, which come in handy for controlling the government. This move is the origination of the term Vichy France, which has become a sort of synonym for traitorous and repressive collaboration. The town is immediately swarmed with visitors and Frenchmen looking for jobs.

Marshal Petain was quite popular in France in his time.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Wick and Hill during the day. There are 12 killed, 22 injured. This is part of the campaign of strategic bombing of industrial centers.

The RAF sends a dozen Hampden bombers against Kiel naval base. One of the pilots is Guy Gibson, who gets a near-miss against the Scharnhorst with a 2,000 lb bomb. Two small bombs hit the Prinz Eugen.

More transfers of Luftwaffe units for rest and refit. There also are several moves of elite units since the French threat has disappeared. The Luftwaffe is reshuffling and reorganizing in order to prepare for the test that Air Minister Hermann Goering already has set out for it.

III/JG26 moves from Munchen-Gladbach to Doberitz to protect Berlin while victory celebrations are in progress.

II/JG2 moves to Frankfurt/Rhein-Main.

Erprobungsgruppe (Epr.Gr) 210 (Test Wing 210) forms at Köln-Ostheim. It is formed using Bf 109s and Bf 110s from other units.

Stab/KG 40 forms at Bordeaux-Merignac to operate Fw 200 4-engine bombers.

The formation of night-fighting units continues at Deelen-Arnhem and Munchen-Gladbach airfields.

German marching band troops marching into the Channel Islands.

Battle of Britain: General Jodl of the General Staff (OKW) discusses the possibility of an invasion of England. This is projected Operation Sealion (Seelöwe).

Battle of the Atlantic: Several U-boats have congregated in the same general area about 300 miles west of France. They spot the same convoy and achieve numerous victories today. However, it turns into a bad day for the U-boats as two of them go under.

U-30 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp) sinks 5,218 ton British MV Beignon at 04:00. There are six deaths and 111 survivors in total; the Beignon had rescued some of the crew from the sunk Avelona Star, and 3 of them are killed and 81 survive this second sinking.

U-102 (Kapitänleutnant Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) torpedoes and sinks 5,219-ton British freighter SS Clearton, with 8 crewmen perishing and 26 surviving.

British destroyer HMS Vansittart then sinks U-102 with depth charges, with all 43 hands lost.

U-65 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen) sinks 8,156-ton Dutch freighter SS Amstelland, with one crewman perishing and 39 surviving.

U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart) sinks 7,466 ton Greek freighter Adamastos. All 25 aboard survive.

U-26 (Kapitänleutnant Heinz Scheringer) torpedoes and damages 4,871 ton British freighter Zarian.

British corvette Gladiolus then depth charges U-26 and forces it to the surface, where RAAF Flight Leader W.N. Gibson (no relation to Guy) bombs it from a Short Sunderland Flying Boat. Heavily damaged, the U-boat is scuttled and all 48 crew survive and become POWs. Gibson receives the DFC for this action.

German raider Thor captures Dutch freighter Kertosono, then sends it to France with a prize crew.

Convoy OA 177G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 177 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 38 departs from Freetown.

Destroyer HMS Garth (L 20) and Minesweeping trawler HMS Deodar (T 124, G. Mair) are commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Admiral Somerville in command of Force H receives orders to commence Operation Catapult, the destruction of the French fleet, on 3 July.

The British War Office sends Governor Dobbie a telegram:

Regret impossible at present to send any fighters but consideration is being given.

In its message, the Admiralty admits that the Mediterranean is now off-limits to Royal Navy carriers.

The island of Malta remains tense about potential spies and saboteurs. There are no air raid alerts today, though.

North Africa: Rodolfo Graziani is formally named the new Italian Governor-General of Italian Libya, replacing the deceased Italo Balbo.

The RAF launches raids against Abyssinia, particularly the airfield at Gondar.

The British move the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch Regiment from Egypt to Aden.

Italian forces in Abyssinia attack the 1st Battalion of the King's Africa Rifles in Moyale.

Romanian motorcycle soldiers, as seen in the LA Times, 1 July 1940.

Romanian/Hungarian Relations: The two countries mass troops along their borders as tensions heighten over Hungarian demands for Romanian territory. Hungary, in an echo of past allegations of "provocations" by Germany and the Soviet Union, claims border violations by Romania.

Anglo/German Relations: The British Foreign Office warns Germany about occupying Syria. British troops are prepared to invade Syria from Palestine and Egypt due to the local commander's vow to remain loyal to Vichy France.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: Sir Stafford Cripps delivers a message to Stalin from Winston Churchill which expresses a desire for closer relations. The USSR remains a nominal ally of Germany, and Stalin has been pursuing an expansionist foreign policy himself lately.

Anglo/US Relations: US Ambassador to the Court of St. James Joseph Kennedy warns Winston Churchill that the feeling is that Great Britain is beaten and that Hitler will be in London by 15 August.

Anglo/Italian Relations: Mussolini warns the British about using Greek waters for the Royal Navy and demands that this stop or he will invade Greece from Albania.

US Major Jimmy Doolittle.

German/US Relations: The German Foreign Ministry responds to the US diplomatic note of 18 June warning against interference in the Americas:

The German Reich . . . has given no occasion whatever for the assumption that it intends to acquire such possessions, . . . the nonintervention in the affairs of the American Continent by European nations which is demanded by the Monroe Doctrine can in principle be legally valid only on condition that the American nations for their part do not interfere in the affairs of the European Continent.

The German Foreign Ministry requests that the US withdraw its ambassadors from Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Luxembourg. Ambassadors to Berlin will suffice now.

US Government: The US Navy issues $30 million in contracts for the construction of 44 new ships and naval facilities.

The Headquarters Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force comes into being in San Diego. The first commander is Brigadier General Ross E. Rowell.

Retired officer James H. Doolittle is recalled to service with US Army Air Corps. His new rank is Major. Major Doolittle's first mission is to help US car manufacturers switch over to aircraft production.

Abbott and Costello, taken from Newsweek of 1 July 1940.

Romania: The Soviet Union completes its occupation of areas demanded from Romania.

The government renounces its defense treaties (April 13, 1939) with England and France, which it believes are worthless guarantees, particularly after the recent Soviet occupation of its territory. Henceforward, its allegiance is with a country that can actually make a difference: Germany.

Soviet Union: Joseph Stalin tells his ambassador to Tokyo that the 23 August 1939 Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact was dictated by the desire to unleash war in Europe." If so, he certainly succeeded.

Japanese Military: The first Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters (pre-series of 15 A6M2) become operational with the 12th Rengo Kōkūtai in July 1940.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army continues moving toward Lungchin.

Evacuations of British non-essentials is in progress from Hong Kong.

Australia: General Sturdee assumes command of the Australian 8th Infantry Division.

Japanese Homefront: Rationing of sugar and matches.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, opening day, 11:00, 1 July 1940.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

July 1940

July 1, 1940: Vichy France
July 2, 1940: Arandora Star
July 3, 1940: Operation Catapult at Mers El Kébir
July 4, 1940: Romania In Crisis
July 5, 1940: The Five Freedoms
July 6, 1940: Hitler's High Point
July 7 1940: Dakar And Ringo
July 8, 1940: Tea Rationing in England
July 9, 1940: Battle of Calabria
July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain Begins
July 11, 1940: "Nous, Philippe Petain"
July 12, 1940: Enter Laval
July 13, 1940: German Surface Raiders Attack!
July 14, 1940: Bastille/Mourning Day
July 15, 1940: Tallest Man Dies
July 16, 1940: Plans for Sea Lion
July 17, 1940: Burma Road Closed
July 18, 1940: FDR Runs Again
July 19, 1940: Last Appeal To Reason
July 20, 1940: First Night Fighter Victory
July 21, 1940: Soviets Absorb Baltic States
July 22, 1940: First RAF Night Fighter Victory
July 23, 1940: Invasion False Alarm
July 24, 1940: The Meknés Incident
July 25, 1940: Black Thursday for RAF
July 26, 1940: Capture The Duke?
July 27, 1940: What's Up, Doc?
July 28, 1940: Destroyers Pulled From Dover
July 29, 1940: Barbarossa On The Burner
July 30, 1940: Hitler Delays Sealion
July 31, 1940: Bloody Wednesday of Olkusz

2020